Railroad-track grossing



(No Model.)

P. J. HOYT.

RAILROAD TRAOK onossme.

Patented May 11 WITNESSES Wv PETERS. Phnlc-Umographnr. wmm mn, D. c.

ing one or more faces provided with a rail these faces is shown a straight rail, 1), and on braces within the box.

PA'IENI Prion.

FREDERICK J. HOYT, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

RAI LROAD TRACK CROSSING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 341,84=8, dated May 11, 1886.

Application filed January 15, 1886.

cago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad-Track Crossings and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to means for crossing the main rail of a railway with the side rail of a switch, and it has for its object to dispense entirely with the use of frogs in that connection.

It consists of a rotary track-crossing havadapted to form a close and continuous connection with the rail of a main or branch track when rotated, as more fully hereinafter described.

Its construction and operation are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan;Fig. 2,a side elevation, partly in section; and Figs. 3 and 4. details.

One form of my invention, which I call a trackcrossing, is shown in Fig. 4. A is a box, which may be hollow or solid, having four square surfaces or faces. On one of another face a siding-rail, c, A shaft, D, runs through the box for its support and connection with operating mechanism, hereinaf ter described. When the box is hollow, the shaft may be additionally braced by arms or (Not here shown.) In Figs. 1 and 2 my invention is shown ap plied to a railroad-track at that point of a track where the inner rails of a switch or side track cross the rails of a main track, and at which point a frog is generally placed. At the point indicated, the box A is sunk below the bed of the road, so that its rails b and c are on an exact level with the main rails of the track. In the position shown in the drawings, the straight rail b is on a line with the main track-rail g and the siding-rail c, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, and in Fig. 2 is laid at an angle on a line with the rail h of a branch track. The box is supported by plac- Serial No. 188,621. (No model.)

The operative mechanism consists of a switch-lever, L, a switch-bar, M, pivoted to the bottom of the switch-lever, and provided with a rack, m, a shaft, 0, supported in journals o, and provided at one end with a cogwheel, 19, to engage with the switch-bar M, and at the other end with a cog wheel, s, to engage with a cog, t, on the end of the shaft D, which carries the box A.

The switch and switch-bar are connected with the main track in the usual way.

As above stated the rotating box is shown in position with its straight rail b on a line with the main rail 9. Now, by pulling the switchlever a suitable distance to turn the switch, the box A is turned over, so as to present the siding-rail c, on aline with the branch rail h. Thus adjusted and operated, a continuous track is presented to the main line at the point where the switch-rail crosses it, and at the same time the switch-track can be utilized and cars side-tracked with as great facility as by the use of the frog.

I do not confine myself to the precise mechanism shown for operating the switch-shaft O, as other equivalent mechanism might be used. For instance, an arm might be attached to the bottom of the switch-lever, and have pivoted thereto and running at a right angle therewith a rod carrying a cog-wheel to engage with the cog on shaft D, by which means the same movement of the track-crossing could be obtained. The number of faces carrying the rails of the track-crossing may also be varied to a greater or less number of side tracks to be used at thatpoint.

It is unnecessary to enumerate at length the disadvantages of frogs in the matter of wear, expense, breakage, misplacement, 850., giving rise to numerous accidents and great outlay, and it is sufficient to say in this connection that my invention is designed, by affording a close joint, a single rail, and a continuous track with absolute certainty of operation, to obviate all such disadvantages.

What I claim is- I 1. A rotary track-crossing provided on its face or faces with a rail adapted to form a close and continuous connection with the rail I11 testimony whereof I affix my signature :0 of a main or branch track when rotated, subin presence of two witnesses. stantially as described.

2. Arotary track-crossing provided on its face FREDERICK J. HOYT. 5 or faces with a rail placed to form a. close and continuous connection with the rail of a main Witnesses: or branch track, in combination with a switch- Jos. H. BLAGKWOOD, lever and shafts and gearing for. operating ANDREW PARKER. said track-crossing, substantially'as described. 

